Syracuse.com - Syracuse women fulfills childhood fantasy at all-female fly casting seminar at Carpenter's Brook

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For me, fly fishing can now be another outdoor activity to enjoy with men in my life, but it can also be a fun way to spend time with my female friends, she said.

Editor's note: The following was written by Heidi Stephens, of Syracuse. Stephens works for syracuse.com/The Post-Standard as an account associate in the advertising department.

I grew up on Riverbend Road, a mile and a half away from a trout hatchery that sits next to the Little Lehigh River in Allentown, Pa.

As a kid, I enjoyed visiting the hatchery and peering into the tanks teeming with trout. For a few cents, you could buy small, waxed-paper bags of pellets to feed the fish. When you threw the pellets into the tanks, you set off a feeding frenzy.

I fantasized about sneaking in at night and scooping up a netful of plump brown trout. On the banks of the creek nearby, fishermen cast their lines into the rushing water. Those anglers were a regular, peaceful presence in the background of my youth. It should come as no surprise that one day I'd be drawn to try the sport of fly fishing myself.

Vickie Lane gives a lesson on casting with a fly rod on the lawn at the Carpenter's Brook Fish Hatchery in ElbridgeHeidi Stephens photo 

This past Saturday and Sunday, I was among 12 women at Carpenter's Brook Fish Hatchery in Elbridge who took part in the Iroquois Chapter of Trout Unlimited's first Annual Women's Fly Fishing Seminar.

The event included lectures and hands-on exercises, with plenty of one-on-one attention provided by a group of female and male volunteers. Instruction covered basic aspects of fly fishing, such as equipment, fly tying, entomology (bugs), fish habits, knots, casting, safety, and fish handling. I enjoyed every bit of it.

The first day began with a light breakfast (thanks to volunteers Bonnie Winchell and Karen Alexander) and presentations in the hatchery's large supply garage. Vicky Lane, the event's coordinator and lead instructor, opened by sharing reasons why so many people enjoy fly fishing.

Fish live in beautiful places. You don't have to be athletic to fly fish; the sport is more about finesse than strength. Fly fishing offers peace and tranquility and excuses to travel, along with fresh air, exercise, and tremendous fun.

All the ladies took their turn learning how to tie artificial flies.Heidi Stephens photo 

Later in the morning, Lindsay Agness, of Honeoye Falls, taught us about different types of flies. Unlike spin fishing that uses bait to attract fish, fly fishing relies on artificial lures that look like insects or other critters fish eat. Lindsay passed around a colorful assortment of flies in various shapes and sizes for us to examine.

We learned the critical importance of choosing the right fly for the conditions. Anglers need to be aware of what insects are present for fish to eat in a particular environment at a particular time and to pick lures that match. I was interested to learn about the hatch charts that are available to show what insects emerge at different times of year.

Some anglers get deeply involved in the biology of fishing, but not everyone has to, Lindsay explained. You can keep things simple by just stopping at a tackle shop, asking what type of flies to use for a particular body of water, and then picking up some of those. Easy, right?

For the day's hands-on activities, participants split into two groups. One went outdoors to learn casting techniques on the lawn. The other stayed inside for fly tying demonstrations by members of Trout Unlimited and a chance to make some simple flies.

A wooly bugger that one of the ladies tied.Heidi Stephens photo 

With guidance and an impressive array of tools provided by TU volunteer Dave Seifritz, I crafted my own version of a crane fly larvae. To do this, I attached a fishing hook onto a vice and wound strands of wool around the shank. We had cream-colored wool to shape the body, and a light brown wool for the head. (Know those insects we see with long wispy legs and narrow wings that some of think are big mosquitoes? Probably mature crane flies.)

At another table, women made the widely used type of wet fly or streamer known as the woolly bugger. It is fished under the water's surface and looks like a minnow or leach as it's pulled in.

Out on the lawn, volunteer Erin Oristian worked with me on my dry casting. "Move the rod as if it's an extension of your arm," she told me. "Keep your wrist straight. Bend your elbow, move your hand backward, make a hard stop at your ear, and then smoothly cast your line forward. ... Don't throw your body, let the rod do the work."

For several minutes, my arm refused to follow instructions. Erin had me put on her jacket, and then she tightened the Velcro fastener on the cuff to secure the rod to my wrist. She stood behind me, grabbed onto my arm, and made it move the way it should. This worked.

"My daughter has done Irish dancing, and one time I strapped her arms to her sides to keep them from moving," Erin explained.

Other volunteers offered more tips. "Keep your thumb on top." "Pull the rod back, stop at 1 o'clock, and then cast. Think of casting like doing a waltz: Move the rod back for a count of three, then forward for three, back for three, then forward for three and bow." Eventually I got it.

The line on a fly rod is tapered and weighted with a plastic coating. Once you get the hang of casting, you can whip the line around with surprising ease.

After lunch, we practiced casting into the trout pond. This time, I was accompanied by Lisa Green of Rochester, who assisted me with choosing flies and tying knots, and provided further guidance on casting. I didn't catch any fish, but I did hook some weeds and tree branches on my back cast. The women on both sides of me caught fish, however--little ones that quickly were returned to the pond.

All the participants were given a box of hand-tied flies made by Iroquois Trout Unlimited members.Heidi Stephens photo 

We wrapped up the first day back in the garage, where the event organizers gave out door prizes ranging from books and wine to a brand-new fly rod. Every woman received at least one prize to take home, along with her own fly box and an assortment of beautiful hand-tied flies, compliments of the local members of Trout Unlimited. Several of us then headed off for dinner and lively conversation at Krabby Kirk's BBQ in Camillus.

On the second day, participants met at the hatchery in the morning to pick up gear and get matched up with a guide before heading over to Nine Mile Creek for several hours of fishing. Bob Alexander of TU supplied maps that plotted out fishing spots. Women who didn't have their own gear could borrow equipment, and Bob handed out waders and rods. I brought my own waders, but borrowed a rod.

Vicky was assigned to guide me and another woman.

Fall isn't the best time of year for trout fishing in this region, and we didn't catch anything at the creek. But I didn't really mind. I was focused on learning how to fish, figuring that eventually, at some other place and some other time, the trout would come. This day, I was happy just to be able to cast my line and make the fly land where I wanted it to.

I enjoyed being able to change flies and tie knots, to walk out into the middle of a stream in the sunshine and feel cool water rush around my waders, and to share the whole experience with women who like doing the same things I do.

Trout Unlimited is engaged in a national push to involve more women in their organization and the sport of fly fishing. The group promotes conservation of cold-water fisheries and catch-and-release fishing. Syracuse is home to the second-oldest chapter. Local members meet the first Wednesday of every month at Barbagallo's Restaurant in East Syracuse. All the women who took part in the seminar have received a free year of membership.

Heidi Stephens tries her luck on Nine Mile Creek.Jim Green photo 

In total, instructors Vicky, Lindsay, and their colleague Jan Opal from the Plattsburgh area taught three, two-day-long seminars to 46 women this summer. Through their expertise, leadership, and enthusiasm, they are nurturing a growing network of "fly gals" (or "fishing sisters," if you will).

For me, fly fishing can now be another outdoor activity to enjoy with men in my life, but it can also be a fun way to spend time with my female friends. And perhaps next spring I will do something I have wanted to do since my youth in Pennsylvania: Wake up early on the first day of trout season and step out into the crisp morning air to go fishing.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog